Apparatus for storing recording media

ABSTRACT

Easily operable apparatus for storing and retrieving recording media, magnetic tape cassettes and compact discs for example, is characterized by a housing and at least first recording media carrier slidably supported therein for movement between a stored position and a recording medium removal position under the influence of an ejection spring. The storage apparatus is provided with a locking mechanism, for retaining the carrier in the stored position, which will not be unintentionally released in response to rapid acceleration or deceleration when the storage apparatus is mounted within a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the storage of recording media, forexample magnetic tape cassettes and/or discs, and particularly tofacilitating the intentional retrieval and return to storage of suchrecording media while minimizing the unintended release from the storedposition of such media. More specifically, this invention is directed toapparatus for storing recording media which is especially well-suitedfor installation in motor vehicles. Accordingly, the general objects ofthe present invention are to provide novel and improved methods andapparatus of such character.

(2) Description of the Prior Art

Apparatus for storing recording media, such as magnetic tape cassettes,"compact" discs, standard records or video discs, is known in the art.An example of such apparatus may be seen from my co-pending applicationSer. No. 645,068 filed Aug. 28, 1984. Recording media storage apparatustypically has a housing, customarily characterized by a rectangularcross-section, and one or more recording media supporting transportsliders which are movable relative to the housing. A transport sliderconveys the recording media from a storage position, in which it or theyare enclosed within the housing, to a removal position in which theselected recording media can be lifted from the transport slider. Thetransport slider will be resiliently biased toward the ejected, i.e.,the recording media removal, position. Means must, of course, beprovided to lock the transport slider in the housing against theresilient bias until such time as it is desired to retrieve a recordingmedium stored in the apparatus. In the apparatus of above-referencedapplication No. 645,068, the locking arrangement comprises elementswhich positively engage one another so as to automatically lock thetransport slider in the housing when it is pushed into the housing fromits ejected position. The locking arrangement includes a couplingelement which is displaceable relative to one of the members beinglocked, i.e., the housing or transport slider, and is supported in thedirection of movement of the transport slider.

Continuing to discuss the apparatus of application No. 645,068, thelocking of the transport slider in the housing results from the couplingelement coming into a locking engagement both with the transport sliderand the housing when the slider is fully inserted and then allowed tomove forward a slight distance under the influence of the resilientbias. Apparatus of the type disclosed in the referenced co-pendingapplication is often, because of its compactness and reliability,installed in motor vehicles. While the position of installation will bedictated by the construction of the vehicle, an effort is always made toselect an installation position which facilitates operation. In mostcases this results in an installation wherein the direction of movementof the transport slider in the opening forward direction is opposite tothe direction of travel of the vehicle.

Continuing to discuss the recording media storage apparatus ofapplication No. 645,068, in order to retrieve a recording medium fromthe apparatus, the inserted transport slider is pushed a short distancefurther into the housing. This results in the coupling element beingunlatched whereupon the transport slider will move to the open positionunder the influence of the resilient bias. The storage apparatus, ifinstalled in a motor vehicle, will be subjected to the same forces asthe vehicle, its components and also its passengers. In the typical modeof mounting, as described above, rapid deceleration of the vehicle willresult in the transport slider, which would customarily be supporting aload in the form of a recording medium, moving relative to the housingin the unlocking direction. Thus, as a result of the inertia of thetransport slider, it may become unintentionally released during, forexample, emergency braking of the vehicle in which the storage apparatusis installed. This same undesirable characteristic is shared by othertypes of locking mechanisms wherein release is effected by urging thetransport slider into the housing. An example of such an other type oflocking mechanism for the transport slider of a recording media storageapparatus may be seen from Published Federal Republic of GermanyApplication No. 25 21 371.

Locking systems for transport sliders of recording media storageapparatus which require movement of a release member in a directiontransverse to the direction of motion of the transport slider in orderto unlatch the transport slider are also known. An example of such asystem may be seen from German Pat. No. 22 48 408. In the apparatus ofthe above-referenced German Patent a release member is molded to thetransport slider. The transport slider is unlocked by lifting therelease member upwardly in a direction which is approximatelyperpendicular to the direction of movement of the transport slider. Therelease member is connected to the floor of the transport slider bymeans of a leaf spring and, during the release operation, executes apivoting movement.

The use of a release mechanism of the type shown in German Pat. No. 2248 408 does not eliminate the possibility of unintentional release ofthe transport slider during rapid vehicle deceleration since theinertial forces to which it will be subjected result in a turning momentacting on the release member. The possibility of unlocking is increasedby the fact that the inertial forces acting on the transport slider andthe recording media housed therein reduce or eliminate the frictionalconnection between the locking extension of the release member and thecooperating catch in the housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the above-briefly discussed and otherdeficiencies and disadvantages of the prior art by providing novel andimproved techniques and apparatus for the storage and retrieval, in theenvironment of a motor vehicle, of recording media such as magnetic tapecassettes, "compact" discettes, conventional records and videodiscettes. Apparatus in accordance with the present invention ischaracterized by a locking arrangement which is substantiallyinsensitive to acceleration or deceleration of the storage apparatus.

Recording media storage apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention comprises a housing, a transport slider guided for movementrelative to the housing and configured to receive recording media, and aspring arrangement which biases the transport slider into the recordingmedia removal position. Thus, the transport slider will be movable froma storage position within the housing to an outer removal positionwherein a recording medium previously placed on the transport slider canbe easily grasped by the user. Apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention further comprises a locking arrangement formed of elementswhich mechanically engage one another in the storage position of thetransport slider so as to automatically lock the transport slider in thehousing when it is pushed inwardly from its removal position. Thelocking arrangement includes at least one catch element which isdisplaceable relative to one of the members being locked, i.e., thehousing or transport slider, but is supported so as not to bedisplaceable in the direction of movement of the transport slider. Thelocking arrangement further includes a release element for the catchelement, the release element being guided so as to move substantially inthe direction of insertion of the transport slider. The release elementis resiliently biased to the locked position and, when operated, servesto unlock the catch element.

In accordance with the present invention the release element forms,together with the means which impart the resilient bias thereto, anoscillatory system. The appropriate dimensioning of the parts,particularly the mass of the release element and the resilient biasapplied thereto, insures that deflection thereof sufficient to releasethe transport slider will occur only at rates of acceleration ordeceleration which, considering the inertia of a loaded transportslider, will not be encountered under normal vehicle use including animpact from behind by another vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objectsand advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art byreference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation view, partly in section, ofapparatus in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partial, exploded, perspective view of the embodiment ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial, exploded, perspective view of apparatus inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, with several elements shown inphantom, of a third embodiment of apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention, the apparatus of FIG. 4 being intended for use in thestorage of "compact" discs and the view of FIG. 4 being taken in adirection perpendicular to a stored disc;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side elevation view taken along line5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the inwardly disposed edge of a discholder of the apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5, FIG. 6 being taken in thedirection of line 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view, taken along line 7--7 of FIG.4, depicting the release button of the apparatus of FIGS. 4-6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus as shown inFIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a partial side view, also taken in the same direction as FIG.5, which depicts the articulated construction of a transport slider foruse in the apparatus of FIGS. 4-8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of apparatus in accordance with afurther embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 being a sectionalview parallel to the direction of movement of a transport sliderdesigned for carrying a compact disc and being partly broken away toshow details of the release mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a partial side view of the transport slider of FIG. 10 takenalong line 11--11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 10, FIG. 12being a view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of apparatus in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus of FIG.13 being intended for use in the storage of "compact" magnetic tapecassettes;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a view, similar to FIG. 10, schematically showing yet anotherembodiment of apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a partial front view of the apparatus of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration similar to FIG. 10 depicting stillanother embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 18 is a partial front view of the apparatus of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 17 and18 with the transport slider being shown in the opened state;

FIG. 20 is a schematic, cross-sectional top plan view of apparatus inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional side elevation view taken along line 21--21of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a plan view, taken from the right-side, of the apparatus ofFIGS. 20 and 21;

FIGS. 23, 24 and 25 are schematic illustrations respectively similar toFIGS. 20, 21 and 22 of a further embodiment of apparatus in accordancewith the present invention; and

FIG. 26 is a partial, perspective view, with components being shown inphantom, of the embodiment of FIGS. 23-25.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, apparatus in accordance with a firstembodiment of the invention for storing a magnetic tape cassette iscomprised of a housing, indicated generally at 10, and a transportslider, indicated generally at 20. Housing 10 has a top panel 12, afloor panel 14, a pair of oppositely disposed side walls 16 and a rearwall 18. The slider 20 includes a base plate 22, a back plate 24 and acatch mechanism housing indicated generally at 26. A pair of lugs 28project upwardly from base plate 22 of slider 20 and serve to receiveand lock the tape hubs of a magnetic tape cassette stored in theapparatus. A helical compression spring 30 biases slider 20 toward theopen position in which it is shown in FIG. 1. The open position, i.e.,the limit of motion in the open direction of slider 20, is defined bystop lugs 32 which are integral with the underside of base plate 22. Thestop lugs 32 cooperate with the forwardly disposed ends 34 of parallelguide slots 36 provided in the upper side of the floor panel 14 ofhousing 10.

The catch housing 26 is also integral with the base plate 22 of slider20. Catch housing 26 has a top wall 40, a rear wall 42 and a pair ofoppositely disposed side walls 44. A portion of base plate 22 forms thebottom wall of the catch housing. The housing 10 and transport slider 20are preferably injection molded from thermoplastic material. The frontof catch housing 26 will be closed by means of a front plate 46. Thefront plate 46 can be secured to the catch housing 26 by adhesivebonding or, preferably, by ultrasonic welding. Centering means for frontplate 46, for example an end flange which is complementary to theopening of catch housing 26, may be provided if desirable or necessaryon the inwardly facing side of plate 46.

Inside catch housing 26, the slider base plate 22 is provided with apair of spaced apertures 48. A catch or latch member, indicatedgenerally at 52, is disposed within catch housing 26. The catch member52 includes a pair of projections 50 which extend through and aremovable relative to apertures 48. A pair of integral guide blocks 54 areprovided on the interior of catch housing 26 adjacent to the apertures48. The guide blocks 54 are spaced to define a channel for guidingmovement of the center portion of catch member 52 in a directiontransverse to the plane of base plate 22. The catch member 52 includes apair of outwardly extending arms 56 which are provided, at the free endsthereof, with laterally extending end fingers 58. The fingers 58 extendin the opposite direction with respect to the projections 50. Catchmember 52 is sized such that the fingers 58 lightly contact theunderside of the top wall 40 of catch housing 26 when the bottom edge 60of catch member 52 in the region between the projections 50 rests on theupper side of base plate 22. In this position the projections 50 passthrough the apertures 48 and extend downwardly a distance which isslightly less than the thickness of the floor panel 14 of housing 10. Inthe inserted position of slider 20, the projections 50 will be receivedin apertures 62 in floor panel 14 of housing 10 and the cooperationbetween the projections 50 and the forward edge of the apertures 62 willretain the transport slider in the housing against the bias of theejection spring 30. The projections 50 are provided, on the sidesthereof which face toward the rear wall 18 of housing 10, with obliquesurfaces 64. These oblique surfaces cooperate with the front edge 66 ofthe floor panel 14 of housing 10 during insertion of the transportslider to cause the catch member 52 to be cammed upwardly. When thecatch member 52 is thus forced upwardly the arms 56 will be resilientlydeformed thus permitting the transport slider to be pushed into thehousing to the point where the projections 50 on catch member 52 dropinto the apertures 62 in the housing floor panel 14. Thus, with thetransport slider in either the inserted or the ejected position, therewill be no resilient deformation of the arms 56 of catch member 52. Forthe reason which will become obvious from the description below, theedge 60 of catch member 52 is also provided with a bevel.

The front plate 46 of catch housing 26 has, in alignment with the edge60 of catch member 52, an aperture 68. A release button, indicatedgenerally at 70, extends through aperture 68. Release button 70 is sizedso that it may slide, in the direction of movement of the transportslider 20, relative to front panel 46. Release button 70 is provided, onthe inside of catch housing 26, with a flange 72. Flange 72 normallycontacts the inner surface of front plate 46 about the periphery ofaperture 68. When flange 72 is in contact with the inside of front plate46, a wedge-like extension 74 of release button 70 will be in contactwith the beveled edge 60 of catch member 52 in the region between theprojections 50, the extension 74 having a portion which is complementaryin shape to the bevel of edge 60. In order to unlock the transportslider, the user will press the release button 70 inwardly therebycausing the center region of catch member 52 to be urged upwardlyagainst the resilient bias of the arms 56 until the projections 50 arelifted out of the apertures 62 in base panel 14 of housing 10. Thedimensions of the parts are chosen such that the leading edge 76 ofextension 74 of release button 70 will be spaced forwardly with respectto the rear wall 42 of catch housing 26 when the projections 50 clearthe cooperating apertures 62. Accordingly, the ejection spring 30 canpush the slider member outwardly a short distance thereby insuring thatthe projections 50 do not fall back into the apertures 62 when the userreleases the release button 70. The user will apply force to the frontplate 46 of catch housing 26 in order to return the transport slider 20to the inserted position in housing 10.

It is to be noted that, when the deforming force is removed from catchmember 52, and thus the arms 56 are released from tension, the releasebutton 70 will be driven back into its rest position as a result of thecooperation between the beveled surfaces on extensions 74 and edge 60 ofcatch member 52.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment, catch member 52 and releasebutton 70 are also injection-molded from thermoplastic material. Sincethe arms 56 of catch member 52 are subjected to resilient deformationonly briefly during ejection and insertion of the transport slider,there is no risk of permanent deformation thereof due to cold flow.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a catch indicated generally at 152 issupported within a catch housing, indicated generally at 126, so that itcan slide in a direction which is normal to the direction of movement ofthe transport slider 120. The lower edge 180 of catch 152 rests on thebase plate 22 of the transport slider 120 while the upper edge 182 ofcatch 152 lightly contacts a guide rib 184 which is integral with andextends from the rear wall 142 of catch housing 126. At one end thereof,the left end in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 3, the catch 152 isprovided with an integral spring arm 156 which terminates, at its freeend, in a rounded end finger 158. Upon assembly of the apparatus the endfinger 158 will be located in the corner defined by the junction of thetop wall 144 and a side wall 144 of catch housing 126. At approximatelythe mid-point thereof, the catch 152 is provided with a lockingprojection 150 which passes through an aperture 140 provided in the baseplate 122 of the catch housing 126. When the transport slider 126 is inthe inserted position, the projection 150 will be engaged in an aperture162 in the floor panel 114 of the housing. For the purposes to bedescribed below, the catch 152 is provided, in regions to either side ofprojection 150, with narrow connecting arms 188.

As in the case of the projections 50 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2,the projection 150 of the FIG. 3 embodiment is provided with an obliqueor beveled surface 164 which extends upwardly and inwardly toward therear of the housing. The oblique surface 164 of projection 150 isdesigned to cooperate with a complementary ramp surface 186 on theforward edge of bottom panel 114 of the housing. Accordingly, when thetransport slider 120 is inserted in the housing, the cooperation betweenthe complementary wedge surfaces 164 and 186 will result in theconnecting arm portions 188 of catch 152 being resiliently deformed tothe degree necessary to allow the projection 150 to move upwardly overthe floor panel 144 of the housing until it drops into the aperture 162whereupon the connecting arms 188 will be released from tension. Whencatch 152 is displaced laterally with respect to the longitudinal axisof the transport slider, i.e., to the left as the apparatus is depictedin FIG. 3, the spring arm 156 will be deformed and the projection 150will move into alignment with a slot 190 which communicates between thefront edge 166 of the housing floor panel 114 and aperture 162. Whenprojection 150 is brought into alignment with slot 190, the transportslider 120 will be ejected from the housing under the action of theejection spring. The projection 150 will be guided along slot 190 duringthe ejection stroke. When the projection 150 clears the front edge 166of the housing floor panel 144 the spring arm 156 will be unloaded and,in the course of unloading, will cause the catch 152 to move to theright to return to its initial position.

The catch 152 of the FIG. 3 embodiment is also provided, on the sidethereof which faces the front panel 146 of catch housing 126, with pairsof integral wedge-like projections 192. The wedges 192 will, of course,be formed on those portions of the catch 152 which are positionedoutwardly with respect to the resilient connecting arms 188. As theapparatus is shown in FIG. 3, a release button 170 is associated witheach pair of wedges 192. The release buttons 170 are guided inassociated apertures 168 in the front panel 146 and are supported attheir inner ends by means of flanges 172. The release buttons 170 arehollow, as may be seen from the showing in phantom on the button 170disposed at the left as the apparatus is shown in FIG. 3. One edge 194of the recess within the button and an outer edge 196 defined by aflange 172 will respectively cooperate with the wedges of an adjacentpair of wedges such that, when pressure is exerted on the releasebutton, the catch 152 will be caused to move laterally against theresilient bias of the spring arm 156. The dimensions of the parts aresuch that the operation during release is analogous to that describedabove in the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. Theaperture 148 in the floor panel 122 of catch housing 126 does notinterfere with the release operation since aperture 148 will besufficiently wide to accommodate the requisite movement of projection150, i.e., the aperture 148 is wider than the aperture 48 of theembodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

As the apparatus is shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to release thetransport slider 120 from the locked position within the housing bypressing any one of the release buttons 170. Apparatus in accordancewith the FIG. 3 embodiment may serve to house, in a single transportslider, a plurality of transport plates. By way of example only, theapparatus of FIG. 3 may be employed for the storage of compact discs anda separate selectable transport plate provided for each disc. In thiscase, the release buttons 170 may also serve to select a particularcarrier plate for ejection along with the transport slider, the othercarrier plates remaining in the housing. For a detailed description ofthe manner in which the release buttons may function to select one of aplurality of carrier plates, reference may be had to co-pendingapplication No. 645,068.

FIGS. 4-9 show a further embodiment of the present invention wherein atransport slider, hereinafter referred to as the "holder", is providedfor each of a plurality of compact discs.

A plurality of disc holders will be received in a housing 300 which isonly partly shown. Guide ribs 302 are formed integrally with and extendinwardly from the side walls of housing 300. The guide ribs 302 arereceived in complementary guide grooves 304 of the disc holders, eachdisc holder including a main plate member 316. The housing 300 is alsoprovided with spring arm receiving grooves 306 formed in the inside ofthe rear wall thereof, the grooves 306 facing toward the open front sideof housing 300 through which the disc holders move. The disc holders aresubstantially plate-shaped and are provided with integral arms 308 whichterminate in outwardly extending hook-like stop extensions 310. The stopextensions 310 are engaged in lateral slots 312 in the side walls ofhousing 300. The arms 308 have a degree of resiliency so that, when thedisc holders are inserted in the housing during assembly, the stopextensions 310 will be deflected inwardly until they come into alignmentwith the slots 312. The housing 300 is also provided with an aperture314 in a side wall thereof for each disc holder, the apertures 314typically being alternated between sides for adjacent disc holders. Aswill be described in greater detail below, the apertures 314 function ascatches for the locking of the disc holders in housing 300.

As noted above, the disc holders each comprise a generally plate-shapedmember 316 which has a dished or troughed configuration and, integraltherewith, a front wall defining unit 318. The front wall defining unit318 is articulated to the main plate member 316 by means of a so-called"film link" or web 320 which, as may be clearly seen from FIG. 9,functions as a hinge. The main plate member 316 of each disc holder isprovided with three retaining lugs 321 which extend outwardly over thedished portion thereof for the purposes of capturing a compact discplaced on the holder. Each of the plate members 316 is further provided,adjacent a corner which will face the rear wall of the housing 300, withan integral pedestal 322. The pedestal 322 is actually disposed in adepression or recess 324 of the plate member 316. A pair of supportprojections 328 overlie the recess 324. The recess 324 is provided withcut-outs in the region underlying the support projections 328. The helix330 of a helical torsion spring is received on pedestal 322. The shorterarm 332 of the helical torsion spring is captured in a narrow slotprovided therefor in plate member 316 while the longer spring arm 334extends obliquely toward the rear wall 306 of housing 300. Theuntensioned position of arm 334 of the helical torsion spring isindicated by broken lines in FIG. 4.

The helical torsion spring is formed such that the arm 334 is situatedin the plane of the disc holder, this positioning being insured by thecooperation between the support projections 328 and the base ofrecession 324 with the spring arm 334 passing therebetween as shown insolid lines in FIG. 4. The free end of the spring arms 334 are bent intoan arcuate shape and are received in respective associated grooves 306in the rear wall of housing 300. This results in each disc holder beingbiased in the ejection direction since the helical torsion spring isnormally in the "loaded" condition. Thus, upon unlocking, the discholder will be urged to the right as the apparatus is shown in FIG. 4with the arcuate end portion of spring arm 334 sliding along the groove306 in the rear wall of the housing 300.

The main plate member 316 is also provided with a pair of oppositelydisposed apertures into which resilient tongues 336 extend. The freeends 338 of the tongues 336 are angled upwardly and turned inwardly.When a disc 340 is mounted on the disc holder, the angled portions 338of tongues 336 will contact the edge of the disc, as may be seen fromFIG. 4, when the disc is pushed completely into the holder. The tongues336 prevent the separation of a disc from the holder when the holder isunlocked and moves to the ejected position under the influence of thehelical torsion spring. The resilient tongues 336 also provide forvibration damping when the embodiment of FIGS. 4-9 is utilized in theenvironment of a motor vehicle. The resilient tongues 336 insure that adisc reliably reaches its end position during the loading thereof onto aholder since, when the axis of rotation of a disc being inserted movesbeyond the line defined by the angled portions 338, the resilienttongues 336 will exert a force in the loading direction. There will, ofcourse, also be a noticeable reduction in the braking force of thetongues on the disc which the user will feel and thus the user can becertain that the disc is securely stowed whereupon the front wall unit318 may be rotated upwardly and the disc holder inserted in the housing.The shape of the tongues 336, and particularly the ends thereof whichare bent upwardly generally at right-angles, insures that a disc beingloaded onto a holder cannot slip beneath a tongue.

At the center of the film link or integral hinge 320, a leaf spring 341which bridges the film link is inserted into corresponding apertures inthe plate member 316 and the front wall unit 318. The leaf spring 341biases the front wall unit 318 to the downwardly angled positiondepicted in FIG. 9 and, at the same time, forms a stop to limit thisopening movement. In the region of the lateral ends of the film link320, the front wall unit 318 is provided with a pair of extensions 342which are received in complementary cut-outs in plate member 316. Whenthe front wall unit 318 is in the downwardly pivoted position of FIG. 9,the extensions 342 block insertion of the disc holder into the housingby contacting the front wall of the adjacent disc holder or, in the caseof the uppermost holder, by contacting the top panel of the housing.Without this precaution it would be possible for the user to attempt toinsert the holder by pressing on the exposed edge of the disc supportedthereon in which case the front wall unit 318 would pivot upwardly thuspinching the fingers of the user. The blocking effect is indicated bythe broken line showing on FIG. 9. The front wall unit 318 constitutes aforward extension of the main plate member 316, the dish-shapeddepression over which a compact disc is extends and the guide grooves304 extending into the front wall unit 318. The contour of thedish-shaped depression in the front wall unit 318 is indicated at 344.

As may be best seen from FIG. 8, a narrow end strip 346 of leaf spring341 is angled slightly upwardly and projects beneath a feeler arm 348 atone end of a pivoted lever. The lever is mounted on one end of a spindleor axle 350 which is rotatably supported at the base of an elongatedrecess 352. The recess 352 extends upwardly from th underside of thefront wall unit 318 and extends parallel to the front panel 360 overapproximately half its width. The recess 352 is provided with a portionof reduced width 354 so that the lever spindle 350, once snapped intoposition, will be permanently captured. At the other end of spindle 350,i.e., the end disposed oppositely with respect to feeler arm 348, anindicating arm 356 is provided. The indicating arm 356 is off-set by180° with respect to the feeler arm.

The end face 358 of the indicating arm 356 is colored or provided withsome other kind of marking which can be seen through a window 362 whichis inserted in front panel 360 of front wall unit 318. The edge of adisc 340 inserted in a holder will press on the feeler arm 348 as may beseen in FIG. 8. When the disc is fully inserted the end strip 346 ofspring 341 will be deflected and the spindle 350 will be pivoted thuscausing the end face 358 of the arm 356 to be rotated to the positionwhere it appears behind the window 362. Accordingly, the appearance ofcolor or other indicia in a window 362 will be an indication that theholder having that window is loaded with a disc. With no disc on theholder, the spring end strip 346 will cause the feeler arm 348 and thusspindle 350 to rotate back to the position shown in FIG. 8.

A release button 364 extends through the front panel 360 of the frontwall unit in the region between window 362 and the housing side wallwhich is in closest proximity thereto. The release button 364 isdisplaceable normal to the plane defined by panel 360 in response tofinger pressure. Release button 364 cooperates with a pair of wedges 366which are integral with a lever or catch which is displaceable in adirection parallel to front panel 360. The lever or catch is biased,into the latched position depicted in FIG. 4, by a spring arm 368. Therelease button--catch arrangement of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-9operates in substantially the same manner as that described above in thdiscussion of FIG. 3.

In the initial assembly of the recording media storage apparatus ofFIGS. 4-9, as may be seen from FIG. 7, the release button 364 isinserted in the aperture provided therefor in front panel 360 from thefront while the catch, which includes the wedges 366, is inserted intothe front wall unit 318 from below. In the interest of facilitatingunderstanding of the invention, the projections provided on thesemembers which enable them to be snapped into position and captured inthe front wall unit have not been shown in the drawing.

In order to facilitate operation of the apparatus, bearing in mind thatthe overall height of each disc holder is quite small, the releasebuttons 364 and indicating arms 356 are arranged alternately on theright and left for adjacent disc holders.

The embodiment of invention depicted in FIGS. 4-9 has been shown anddescribed in considerable detail. It is believed that those skilled inthe art will, as a result of the description of all of the FIGS. 1-9,understand the construction and operation of the embodiments of FIGS.10-26 which will be discussed below. Accordingly, the embodiments ofFIGS. 10-26 have been shown in diagramatic form and the followingdescription thereof is limited to their salient features.

FIGS. 10-12 depict a further embodiment of the present inventiondesigned for use in the storage of compact discs. This furtherembodiment comprises a housing 400, a plurality of transport slidermembers 402 constructed as disc holders and guide rails 404 which engagelateral grooves in the transport sliders. The guide rails 404 are moldedto the inside of the side walls of housing 400 and guide and support thetransport sliders 402. A leaf-type ejector spring 406 is associated witheach slider 402 and the limit of travel of the sliders in the ejectiondirection is limited by integral stop projections 408 which are engagedin slots 410 in the sides of housing 400. Slots 412 are formed in thesliders 402 immediately inwardly with respect to the stop projections412 and the projections 408 are provided with obliquely angledrearwardly facing surfaces. Accordingly, during assembly of the storageapparatus, the stop projections 408 will be cammed inwardly, such inwardmotion being permitted by the resilient webs defined by slots 412, untilsuch time as the projections snap outwardly into the slots 410. As inthe embodiment of FIGS. 4-9, each transport slider includes a front wallunit 414 which is joined to the main portion of the slider by means of afilm link or web 416. The film link or web 416 is biased to the foldeddown position by a pair of leg-and-collar springs 417. The front wallunit 414 is provided, adjacent one side edge thereof, with an outwardlyopening guide slot 418. A release button 420 is positioned in slot 418and is biased outwardly by means of a helical spring 422. A stop 424which is integral with button 420 insures the retention of the releasebutton in the guide slot 418. In the rest position shown in FIG. 10, thenarrow leading edge of a wedge 426 which is integral with release button420 lies immediately in front of a complementary oblique surfaceprovided on a leaf spring 428. The leaf spring 428 is, in turn, integralwith the front wall unit 414 and includes, on the side thereof whichfaces a guide rail 404 on the side of housing 400, with a projection 430which engages an aperture 432 in the guide rail 404. The leaf spring 428is, in actual practice, part of the web which is situated above theguide groove in the side of the main portion of the transport slider402. The helical spring 422 is inserted through an opening in the floor434 of the front end unit 414 and is captured by pins 436 and 438. Pin436 is integral with the front wall unit while pin 438 is integral withthe release button 420. The manner in which the pressing of releasebutton 420 will cause deflection of leaf spring 428 to disengageprojection 430 from the aperture 432 in the side rail 404 can clearly beseen from FIG. 11.

The embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14 has been designed for use in thestorage of compact magnetic tape cassettes, i.e., the so-called"Phillips" cassettes. The storage apparatus of FIGS. 13 and 14 includesa housing 450, a transport slider 452 and an ejection spring 454. Thetravel of transport slider 452 in the ejection direction is limited bymeans of stops 456 which travel in slots 458 in the floor of the housing450. The locking of the transport slider 452 in the storage position iseffected by means of a hook or projection 460 which is integral with aleaf spring member 462. The hook 460 engages an aperture in the floor ofhousing 450. The leaf spring 462 is formed from the material whichcomprises the floor of transport slider 452 and the forwardly facing endthereof is beveled so as to extend downwardly and inwardly. The beveledend of leaf spring 462 cooperates with a wedge extension 464 of arelease button 466. In accordance with the preferred construction ofapparatus pursuant to FIGS. 13 and 14, the release button 466 isintegral with the transport slider 452, the entire sub-assembly beingformed by injection molding, but is movable with respect to theremainder of the transport slider. Thus, as the apparatus is shown, therelease button 466 is connected to the remainder of the transport sliderby means of resiliently deformable intermediate members 468. Theintermediate members 468 lie, as may be seen from FIG. 14, adjacent thewedge extension 464 and it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that the fabrication of such a part does not require a highlycomplicated molding die.

The embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 16 is intended for the storage of compactdiscs and includes a plurality of plate-like disc holders 472 supportedfor linear movement in a housing 470. The housing 470 is formed with alongitudinal channel 474 extending parallel to and along one of the sideedges thereof. A plunger 476, which may be actuated by means of arelease button 478, is disposed within channel 474 and guided by one ofthe channel defining walls. A catch 482, having a wedge-shapedprojection 480, is biased against one side wall of the channel, adjacentthe inwardly disposed end thereof, by means of a compression spring 484.The catch 482 is capable of a limited degree of movement against thebias of spring 484, the catch sliding on a guide flange during suchmovement. The catch 482 has a second projection 486 which extends in adirection which is generally transverse to projection 480. Theprojection 486 extends through the inside channel defining wall inhousing 470 and engages a recess in the transport slider 472. Springloaded catch 482 normally prevents the transport slider from beingejected from housing 470 under the influence of a leaf-type ejectionspring 488. When the release button 478 is pressed inwardly, the innerend of plunger 476 cooperates with the oblique surface on thewedge-shaped projection 480 to force catch 482 to the right as theapparatus is depicted in FIG. 15. This movement to the right will unlockthe transport slider whereupon it will be ejected by leaf spring 488.

The embodiment of FIGS. 17-19 is similar to that of FIGS. 10-12 andincludes a release button 500 which is guided in an aperture 502provided in the front wall unit 526 of each of the disc holders 522. Therelease button 500 is captured in the front wall unit by means of amolded stop 504. The release button 500, in the manner described above,cooperates with a catch 514, i.e., edges 506, 508 of the release buttonrespectively engage surfaces 510, 512 of wedge-like projections on thecatch and cause movement of the catch in a direction transverse to thedirection of movement of the button. The catch 514 is urged, by ahelical spring 516, against a stop 518. When the catch is in contactwith stop 518 the end thereof will be engaged in an aperture 520 in theside wall of the housing. The depression of the release button 500 willcause the catch 514 to move to the left as the apparatus is depictedthus overcoming the bias of sprin9 516 and withdrawing the end of thecatch from the aperture 520 in the housing side wall. With the catchthus unlocked, the disc holder 522 will be ejected from the housing by aleaf spring 524. During ejection, the front wall unit 526 will pivotdownwardly with respect to the main portion of the disc holder 522 underthe influence of a leaf spring 528.

The catch 514 is received in a channel which is open at the bottom ofthe front wall unit 526 and is retained in the channel by the subsequentsnapping in of the release button 500. The spring 516 is maintained inposition by means of an extension 530 of catch 514. It will beappreciated that the catch/release button assembly can be "turned" andinstalled at the other side of the holder. This permits, as indicated inFIG. 18, the release buttons to be alternated from side to side onadjacent disc holders thus facilitating use of the storage apparatus.

The embodiments of FIGS. 20-22 and 23-26 are designed for use in thestorage of magnetic tape cassettes, especially compact cassettes. In theembodiment of FIGS. 20-22 the frontal region of the transport slider 540is of double-walled construction and defines a cavity 542. The catch544, biasing spring 546 and a pair of further small leaf springs 552 areall disposed within cavity 542. The release button 548 extends throughan opening provided therefor in the front wall 550 of the transportslider. The front wall 550 will be defined by a cover plate which, byway of example, is affixed to the remainder of the transport slider todefine the double-walled frontal region by means of ultrasonic welding.The release button 548, in the embodiment of FIGS. 20-22, is providedwith its own bias system which consists of the two small leaf springs552. The springs 552 are bent approximately into a V-shape. The catch544 engages, by means of a projection 554, the wall of a complementaryshaped aperture 556 in the housing side wall 558. The catch 544, as maybe seen from FIG. 20, is provided with wedge-like projections and isunlocked in the same manner as described above in the discussion of theembodiment of FIGS. 17-19.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 23-26 the transport slider 574 is supportedwithin a housing 570 for sliding movement on guide rails 572. The tongueof a leaf spring 576, which has an integral downwardly extending lockingprojection 578, is formed from the floor of transport slider 574. Theforwardly disposed end of the leaf spring 576 is provided with ainwardly and downwardly beveled surface 580. The surface 580 cooperateswith a complementary wedge-shaped projection 582 of a release button584. The release button 584 is mounted within a double-walled frontalregion, indicated at 586, of the transport slider 574. During assemblythe release button may be inserted from the bottom by resilientdeformation of the front wall of the transport slider and deflection ofthe leaf spring.

While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, variousmodifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. According1y, it is to beunderstood that the present invention has been described by way ofillustration and not limitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. In apparatus for storing recording media, theapparatus comprising housing means having a first side with at least afirst opening therein, the housing first side defining the front of theapparatus, the apparatus also comprising at least a first transportslider means guided for movement in and relative to the housing meansthrough the first side opening thereof, the slider means being arrangedto receive a recording medium, the transport slider means being movablebetween a storage position within the housing means and an outer removalposition in which a recording medium placed in the transport slidermeans can easily be grasped, the apparatus also comprising an ejectionspring arrangement which biases the transport slider means into theouter removal position, the apparatus additionally comprising means forautomatically locking the transport slider means to the housing means inthe storage position of the transport slider means when the transportslider means is pushed inwardly from its removal position, an improvedlocking mechanism comprising,catch means for rigidly coupling the slidermeans to the housing means in the storage position of the slider means,said catch means including a catch element carried by one of the sliderand housing means, said catch element being at least in partdisplaceable relative to the other of said means to selectively lock andunlock the slider means whereby the slider means can move to the removalposition under the influence of the ejection spring when unlocked, saidcatch element being supported against movement relative to said slidermeans in the direction of the movement of said slider means; releasemeans for actuating said catch element to cause the unlocking thereof,said release means including a release element which is linearlydisplaceable generally in the direction of insertion of the transportslider means, said release element extending from the front of theapparatus and being constructed and located to contact said catchelement and impart movement to said at least part of said catch elementin a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of thetransport slider means to decouple the transport slider means from thehousing means; and means for resiliently biasing said release elementaway from said catch element.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein themovement of the release element is limited by stops and is greater thanthat required to unlock said catch element.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the catch element and the release element are both mounted onthe transport slider means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising at least a second release element for imparting movement tosaid catch element.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising meansfor resiliently biasing said catch element into the locked position. 6.The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the means for resiliently biasing saidcatch element also provides the resilient bias for said release element.7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mass of said release element andthe resilient bias force applied to said release element are such thatdecoupling due to inertia forces can occur only at a predeterminedacceleration of the apparatus in the direction in which the transportslider means travels in moving from the storage to the removal position.8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the recording media are disc-shapedand wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of transport slidermeans, each transport slider means having a front wall defining portionwhich is articulated to a main recording medium support member about anaxis which extends transversely to the direction of movement of thetransport slider means, the opposite faces of a recording mediumsupported on said support member being accessible when said transportslider means are in the removal position.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8wherein each disc-shaped recording medium is provided with its owntransport slider means and said slider means in the removal positionextend from the housing means to a point where a portion of the mainsupport member which is sufficient to act as an insertion guide memberprojects out of the housing means.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 whereinrecording medium braking means are provided on said main supportmembers, said braking means contacting the edge of an inserted recordingmedium in the region of that half thereof which faces towards the frontwall defining portion, said braking elements being arranged at adistance from each other which is smaller than the diameter of therecording medium, and being capable of being resiliently deflected awayfrom each other in such a way that when a recording medium is pushedtherebetween the braking elements yield until they are at a distancefrom each other equal to the recording medium diameter.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 8 wherein the housing means has a rear wall andwherein the bias spring arrangement for each transport slider meanscomprises a helical torsion spring, of which the helix and oneprojecting end of each spring being housed in the main support memberwhile the other projecting spring end is free and engages an associatedgroove in the rear wall of the housing means, said torsion spring otherprojecting end lying in a plane defined by said support member.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 8 further comprising indicating means for showingwhether the transport slider means is empty or occupied, the indicatingmeans comprising a pivotable feeler which, when said front wall definingportion is pivoted into the insertion position, is spring biased againstthe surface of an inserted recording medium, said indicating meansfurther comprising an indicating element which is coupled to saidfeeler, the feeler and the indicating element being constructed as armsof a two-armed lever which is rotatably supported in said front walldefining portion.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said front walldefining portions are each biased by means of a leaf spring arranged inthe region of said axis into a position in which said front walldefining portions are pivoted away from the main support member, andwherein the leaf springs each have an extension which provides thespring bias for said pivotable feelers.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10wherein the braking elements are integral with the main support members.15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the angle defined by an apex inthe center point of an inserted disc-shaped recording medium and linespassing through the points of contact of the braking elements with theedge of the recording medium is less than 160° and greater than 90°. 16.The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said angle is approximately 140°. 17.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said catch element is integral with thesaid one of the housing and transport slider means and is at least inpart resiliently displaceable relative thereto.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein one of the elements is integral with one of the meansand the connection therebetween is constructed as a bias spring for theelement.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the other element isseparate from the other means and is inserted therein.
 20. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein the catch element is displaceable parallel to a planedefined by a recording medium support surface of the transport slidermeans.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the catch element isdisplaceable in a direction transverse a plane defined by a recordingmedium support surface of the transport slider means.
 22. The apparatusof claim 21 wherein the catch element cooperates with an aperture in thetransport slider means.
 23. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the catchelement cooperates with an aperture in the transport slider means. 24.The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the housing means includes side wallsand wherein said transport slider means is guided along rails molded onthe side walls of the housing means and wherein the catch elementcooperates with a latch portion of a guide rail.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 24 wherein the guide rails engage guide slots provided on thetransport slider means and wherein the catch element is constructed as acut-out tongue-shaped section of a web bordering a guide slot.
 26. Inapparatus for storing recording media, the apparatus comprising housingmeans having a first side with at least a first opening therein, thehousing first side defining the front of the apparatus, the apparatusalso comprising at least a first transport slider means guided formovement in and relative to the housing means through the first sideopening thereof, the slider means being arranged to receive a recordingmedium, the transport slider means being movable between a storageposition within the housing means and an outer removal position in whicha recording medium placed in the transport slider means can easily begrasped, the apparatus also comprising an ejection spring arrangementwhich biases the transport slider means into the outer removal position,the apparatus additionally comprising means for automatically lockingthe transport slider means to the housing means in the storage positionof the transport slider means when the transport slider means is pushedinwardly from its removal position, an improved locking mechanismcomprising,catch means for rigidly coupling the slider means to thehousing means in the storage position of the slider means, said catchmeans including a catch element carried by one of the slider and housingmeans, said catch element being at least in part displaceable relativeto the other of said means to selectively lock and unlock the slidermeans whereby the slider means can move to the removal position underthe influence of the ejection spring when unlocked, said catch elementbeing supported against movement relative to said slider means in thedirection of the movement of said slider means; release means foractuating said catch element to cause the unlocking thereof, saidrelease means including a release element which is integral with thetransport slider means and is linearly displaceable generally in thedirection of insertion of the transport slider means, said releaseelement extending from the front of the apparatus and being constructedand located to contact said catch element and impart movement to said atleast part of said catch element in a direction generally transverse tothe direction of movement of the transport slider means to decouple thetransport slider means from the housing means; and means for resilientlybiasing said release element away from said catch element, said biasingmeans comprising a first resilient intermediate member which connectssaid release element to the transport slider means.
 27. In apparatus forstoring recording media, the apparatus comprising housing means having afirst side with at least a first opening therein, the housing first sidedefining the front of the apparatus, the apparatus also comprising atleast a first transport slider means guided for movement in and relativeto the housing means through the first side opening thereof, the slidermeans being arranged to receive a recording medium, the transport slidermeans being movable between a storage position within the housing meansand an outer removal position in which a recording medium placed in thetransport slider means can easily be grasped, the apparatus alsocomprising an ejection spring arrangement which biases the transportslider means into the outer removal position, the apparatus additionallycomprising means for automatically locking the transport slider means tothe housing means in the storage position of the transport slider meanswhen the transport slider means is pushed inwardly from its removalposition, an improved locking mechanism comprising,catch means forrigidly coupling the slider means to the housing means in the storageposition of the slider means, said catch means including a catch elementon the housing means, said catch element being at least in partdisplaceable relative to the transport slider means to selectively lockand unlock the slider means whereby the slider means can move to theremoval position under the influence of the ejection spring whenunlocked, said catch element being supported against movement relativeto said slider means in the direction of the movement of said slidermeans; release means for actuating said catch element to cause theunlocking thereof, said release means including a release element whichis linearly displaceable generally in the direction of insertion of thetransport slider means, said release element being mounted on saidhousing means and extending from the front of the apparatus, saidrelease element being constructed and located to contact said catchelement and impart movement to said at least part of said catch elementin a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of thetransport slider means to decouple the transport slider means from thehousing means; and means for resiliently biasing said release elementaway from said catch element.
 28. In apparatus for storing recordingmedia, the apparatus comprising housing means having a first side withat least a first opening therein, the housing first side defining thefront of the apparatus, the apparatus also comprising at least a firsttransport slider means guided for movement in and relative to thehousing means through the first side opening thereof, the slider meansbeing arranged to receive a recording medium, the transport slider meansbeing movable between a storage position within the housing means and anouter removal position in which a recording medium placed in thetransport slider means can easily be grasped, the apparatus alsocomprising an ejection spring arrangement which biases the transportslider means into the outer removal position, the apparatus additionallycomprising means for automatically locking the transport slider means tothe housing means in the storage position of the transport slider meanswhen the transport slider means is pushed inwardly from its removalposition, an improved locking mechanism comprising,catch means forrigidly coupling the slider means to the housing means in the storageposition of the slider means, said catch means including a catch elementmounted on the housing means, said catch element being at least in partdisplaceable relative to the transport slider means to selectively lockand unlock the slider means whereby the slider means can move to theremoval position under the influence of the ejection spring whenunlocked, said catch element being supported against movement relativeto said slider means in the direction of the movement of said slidermeans; release means for actuating said catch element to cause theunlocking thereof, said release means including a release element whichis linearly displaceable generally in the direction of insertion of thetransport slider means, said release element being mounted on thetransport slider means and extending from the front of the apparatus,said release element being constructed and located to contact said catchelement and impart movement to said at least part of said catch elementin a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of thetransport slider means to decouple the transport slider means from thehousing means; and means for resiliently biasing said release elementaway from said catch element.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28 furthercomprising means for resiliently biasing said catch element into thelocked position.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said resilientbiasing means each comprise a bias spring.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30wherein said bias springs are comprised of metal.
 32. The apparatus ofclaim 30 wherein at least one of the bias springs is integral with theassociated element.
 33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein a common biasspring is associated with said catch and release elements and saidelements are mechanically coupled to each other.
 34. In apparatus forstoring recording media, the apparatus comprising housing means having afirst side with at least a first opening therein, the housing first sidedefining the front of the apparatus, the apparatus also comprising atleast a first transport slider means guided for movement in and relativeto the housing means through the first side opening thereof, the slidermeans being arranged to receive a recording medium, the transport slidermeans being movable between a storage position within the housing meansand an outer removal position in which a recording medium placed in thetransport slider means can easily be grasped, the apparatus alsocomprising an ejection spring arrangement which biases the transportslider means into the outer removal position, the apparatus additionallycomprising means for automatically locking the transport slider means tothe housing means in the storage position of the transport slider meanswhen the transport slider means is pushed inwardly from its removalposition, an improved locking mechanism comprising,catch means forrigidly coupling the slider means to the housing means in the storageposition of the slider means, said catch means including a catch elementcarried by one of the slider and housing means, said catch element beingat least in part displaceable relative to the other of said means toselectively lock and unlock the slider means whereby the slider meanscan move to the removal position under the influence of the ejectionspring when unlocked, said catch element being supported againstmovement relative to said slider means in the direction of the movementof said slider means; release means for actuating said catch element tocause the unlocking thereof, said release means including a releaseelement which is linearly displaceable generally in the direction ofinsertion of the transport slider means, said release element extendingfrom the front of the apparatus and being constructed and located tocontact said catch element and impart movement to said at least part ofsaid catch element in a direction generally transverse to the directionof movement of the transport slider means to decouple the transportslider means from the housing means, said release element being coupledto said catch element by means of a wedge-shaped actuating surface.means for resiliently biasing said release element away from said catchelement.
 35. In apparatus for storing recording media, the apparatuscomprising housing means having a first side with at least a firstopening therein, the housing first side defining the front of theapparatus, the housing means also having an apertured floor panel,apparatus also comprising at least a first transport slider means guidedfor movement in and relative to the housing means through the first sideopening thereof, the slider means being arranged to receive a recordingmedium, the transport slider means being movable between a storageposition within the housing means and an outer removal position in whicha recording medium placed in the transport slider means can easily begrasped, the apparatus also comprising an ejection spring arrangementwhich biases the transport slider means into the outer removal position,the apparatus additionally comprising means for automatically lockingthe transport slider means to the housing means in the storage positionof the transport slider means when the transport slider means is pushedinwardly from its removal position, an improved locking mechanismcomprising,catch means for rigidly coupling the slider means to thehousing means in the storage position of the slider means, said catchmeans including a catch element carried by the slider means, said catchelement cooperating with an aperture in the housing means floor paneland being at least in part displaceable relative to the said floor toselectively lock and unlock the slider means whereby the slider meanscan move to the removal position under the influence of the ejectionspring when unlocked, said catch element being supported againstmovement relative to said slider means in the direction of the movementof said slider means; release means for actating said catch element tocause the unlocking thereof, said release means including a releaseelement which is linearly displaceable generally in the direction ofinsertion of the transport slider means, said release element extendingfrom the front of the apparatus and being constructed and located tocontact said catch element and impart movement to said at least part ofsaid catch element in a direction generally transverse to the directionof movement of the transport slider means to move said catch element outof the aperture in the housing means floor to thereby decouple thetransport slider means from the housing means; and means for resilientlybiasing said release element away from said catch element.
 36. Inapparatus for storing recording media, the apparatus comprising housingmeans having a first side with at least a first opening therein, thehousing first side defining the front of the apparatus, the apparatusalso comprising a plurality of transport slider means guided formovement in and relative to the housing means through the first sideopening thereof, the slider means each being configured to receive arecording medium, the transport slider means being movable between astorage position within the housing means and an outer removal positionin which a recording medium placed in the transport slider means caneasily be grasped, the apparatus also comprising an ejection springarrangement which biases the transport slider means into the outerremoval position, the apparatus additionally comprising means forautomatically locking each of the transport slider means to the housingmeans in the storage position of the transport slider means when eachtransport slider means is pushed inwardly from its removal position, animproved locking mechanism comprising,catch means for rigidly couplingeach of the slider means to the housing means in the storage position ofthe slider means, said catch means each including a catch elementcarried by one of the slider and housing means, said catch elementsbeing at least in part displaceable relative to the other of said meansto selectively lock and unlock the slider means whereby the slider meanscan move to the removal position under the influence of the ejectionspring arrangement when unlocked, said catch element being supportedagainst movement relative to said slider means in the direction of themovement of said slider means; release means for actuating said catchelements to cause the unlocking thereof, said release means eachincluding a release element which is linearly displaceable generally inthe direction of insertion of the transport slider means, said releaseelement extending from the front of the apparatus and being constructedand located to contact said catch elements and impart movement to saidat least part of said catch elements in a direction generally transverseto the direction of movement of the transport slider means to decouplethe transport slider means from the housing means, said release elementsbeing staggered with respect to one another; and means for resilientlybiasing said release elements away from said catch elements.
 37. Theapparatus of claim 36 wherein the housing means includes a pair ofparallel opposite side walls and said release elements are arrangedalternately adjacent the opposite side walls of the housing means.